Meat + Poultry - January 2004 - 54

FSI EDITORIAL

From the publisher's desk ...

■

A folder on my desk bulges well beyond its capacity. Hundreds of articles
pulled from a multitude of publications
across the country, and beyond, spill out. Yet,
each day I stuff more evidence into the folder. Evidence of change in consumer habits,
demands and fears. Evidence of challenge to
long-held views of how food is produced
and then arrives on the consumer's plate.
And the pace seems only to quicken.
In launching Food Systems Insider three
years ago, I suspect a number of readers
wondered if there was truly a need. The
landscape of the food-animal chain has altered dramatically since that first issue.
Challenges used to be simply production, processing and marketing. Few questioned the process. Fewer still questioned
the role of food animals.
Today, every participant in animal-based
food chains faces complex challenges that
were unimaginable to most a few years ago.
From producers and their
input suppliers to retailers and restaurateurs,
the rules have changed.
Social and environmental challenges continue to be leveled at the
industry. Food safety,
food security and diet
composition have commanded front-page
headlines. New technologies and their multiple applications are increasingly debated as
both problem and solution.
It was with the anticipation of change
that Food Systems Insider began. Our goal
was, and is still, to draw the food-production
distribution channels closer through the
flow of information. That goal is more vital
and compelling today than ever. Restaurants
and retailers want more information and
connection to their suppliers because their
customers demand it. Their customers' motives are as diverse as the population, driven
by social mores, a desire for security and
safety, and by assurance of quality or greater
convenience. The only way to respond to
consumers successfully at each segment is

2 FSI

FOOD SYSTEMS

ınsıder

JANUARY 2004

through communication, trust and understanding. It is vital for each participant in the
chain to work toward this end.
Beginning with this issue, you will
receive Food Systems Insider bimonthly,
instead of quarterly. The issues and opportunities facing the food-animal chains demand
it. The content, while evolving with industry
needs, will continue to focus on the entire
channel as an audience, reaching producers
and their suppliers; packers, processors and
the distribution network; and retail supermarkets and restaurants.
In addition to the printed version of
Food Systems Insider, many of you have received an e-mail newsletter each of the
eight months the print version did not publish. Now you may receive the e-mail
newsletter, with totally different content
than the printed product, twice each month.
If you do not receive the FSI e-version and
would like to, go to www.vancepublishing.
com/FSI/newsletter.htm.
Expanded frequency
is just one example of
our continued commitment to serve the needs
of the food-animal production and supply chain.
Another example is our
addition of the mediawatch column (page
16 FSI), which will appear
in each printed version. We believe it's important to observe and examine how the
popular media cover food-industry issues
and how it can affect you, as a participant in
the food industry.
We welcome your thoughts and ideas
on how Food Systems Insider, print or electronic version, can better meet your needs
and help your business evolve.

Bill Newham
Vice president/publishing director
Vance Publishing Food Systems Group
bnewham@vancepublishing.com
(913) 438-0717

To complement
increased frequency
and a new regular
column, Food
Systems Insider has
donned a fresh look
for 2004.

http://www.vancepublishing

Meat + Poultry - January 2004

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